Over thirty (30) years ago, it was known very generally to vend certain products in a vehicle. For example, the Rupert patent (U.S. Pat. No. 3,172,713), patented Mar. 9, 1965, was directed toward a vending machine apparatus to be used in conjunction with a vehicle seat structure. This invention was intended to vend small items such as cigarettes, candy, combs, or hand lotion, in a taxi cab. The vending machine was designed to fit into the backside of the front seat, so that it faced the passengers sitting in the rear seat.
Of the two (2) embodiments disclosed by the Rupert patent, the more space-efficient embodiment consisted of plural individual vending machines arranged side-by-side. To restock any one of these individual vending machines required its removal from the backside of the front seat. The less space-efficient embodiment took the form of a more conventional singular vending machine having a plurality of vended items. To restock the less space-efficient embodiment, it was necessary to open the entire face of the machine.
The Rupert patent did not disclose, nor did it envision, that it would be desirable to dispense, much less vend, refrigerated items in a moving vehicle.
In some countries, public transportation, especially inter-city transportation, takes place primarily on coach buses. Such buses seat approximately forty to sixty (40-60) people, and usually have a lavatory. The provision of a lavatory makes it possible to travel non-stop between cities, or to stop very infrequently. With few to no stops, there is little to no opportunity for a passenger on such a coach to obtain refreshments, such as soft drinks.
Typical vending machines are very large in size, which is impractical for the very limited space available in a coach bus. Also, the typical vending machine is cooled via a compressor driven by a motor. Such a cooling system consumes a great deal of energy, is very bulky, and generates a great deal of heat. Again, this is impractical for the typical coach bus, in terms of the volume of space consumed, the power consumed to run the compressor, and the large quantities of heat generated by the compressor.
It is not convenient to simply provide a cooler from which a passenger can withdraw a soft drink and pay an attendant. The profit margin for such a vending operation is small, so that the cost of paying an attendant would likely consume the profits from the sale of the beverage. The responsibilities of attendant and driver could be combined, but this presents a safety hazard if the driver is responsible for vending the soft drinks from the cooler.